The document provides an overview of Application Link Enabling (ALE) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in SAP. It describes what ALE and EDI are, the components and basic concepts of ALE like IDocs, and how outbound and inbound processes work in ALE. It also discusses topics like configuration requirements, monitoring IDocs, and questions about ALE.

1. Overview of ALE / EDI / IDOCs

2. EDI What is EDI? Type of EDI process Outbound EDI Process Inbound EDI Process

3. What is EDI? EDI is electronic exchange of business documents between the computer systems of business partner using a standard format over a communication network EDI is also called a paperless exchange.

4. Typical EDI/IDOC Scenario

5. Outbound Process With Message Control Directly -With out Message Control

6. Inbound Process With Function Module

7. EDI Configuration How to Set Up an RFC Destination in SAP The Port Definitions Configure Partner Profile Configure Message Control

8. Complete EDI/ ALE scenario

9. ALE What is ALE? Components of ALE. Anatomy of an IDoc. ALE Processing Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs. Questions

10. ALE Terminology ALE - Application Linking & Enabling IDoc - Intermediate Document EDI - Electronic Data Interchange

11. ALE Objective

12. ALE!! What is it ?? It is a set of Tools, programs and data definitions Provides distribution model and technology that enables SAP Customer to interconnect programs across various platforms and systems .

13. Features –ALE / IDocs Distributed System yet integrated with SAP R/3 Based on ‘Application-to-Application integration using ‘Message Architecture’ Reliable communication Data is exchanged using “IDocs” Support both R/2, R/3 and External system If network problem, message is buffered ALE support backward compatibility ALE ensure that , data is transferred only once

14. ALE Scenario Document SAP System R/3 SAP System R/3 IDoc EDI Subsystem EDI Subsystem IDoc IDoc

15. What is ALE ? Components of ALE. Anatomy of an IDoc. ALE Processing Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs. Trouble Shooting Questions Topics to cover

16. Components of ALE Services: Application Services Distribution Services Communication Services

17. Application Services Services: Application Services Distribution Services Communication Services This is where the SAP applications ( SD, FI, MM etc. ) generate their data and documents

18. Distribution Services Services: Application Services Distribution Services Communication Services Recipients Formats and Filters the data Creates IDocs ( Intermediate Documents

19. Communication Services Services: Application Services Distribution Services Communication Services TCP/IP RFC tRFC etc

20. Determine Receipients Filter/Convert Data, Create IDOC Application Functions Filter/Convert Data Carrier Application Layer Distribution/ ALE Layer Communication Layer Application In a Nut Shell Application Data Master IDOC Comm. IDOC Comm. IDOC

21. Topics to cover What is ALE ? Components of ALE . Anatomy of an IDoc. ALE Processing Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs. Trouble Shooting Questions

22. IDoc Concept R/3 System System 1 SAP Document EDI subsystem R/3 System R/2 System 3rd party software System 2 IDoc

23. IDoc Structure Status Record IDoc-ID Status information Data Record IDoc-ID Sequence/Hierarchy Segment Format definition for header data item data Control Record IDoc-ID Sender-ID Receiver-ID IDoc type and logical message External structure

24. Control record Data Record Status Record IDOC “ Intermediate Document”

25. Control Record The very first record of an IDoc package is always a control record. The structure of this control record of the structure EDIDC and describes the contents of the data contained in the package. The control record goes to table EDIDC

26. Message Type Message Type indicates How to Know what the data Means Data Exchanged by IDOC and EDI is known as Messages Message of same kind belong to the same message type. Message types are stored in table EDMSG

27. Data Record All records in the IDoc, which come after the control record, are the IDoc data. They are all structured alike, with a segment information part and a data part, which is 1000 character in length, filling the rest of the line. Data & Segment info is stored in EDID4 for release 4.x and EDID3 for release 2.x and 3.x.

28. Status Record Information about the IDoc status like: IDoc identification number Status number - table verified IDoc type Direction Data and time stamp; Structure: EDIDS

29. Status of IDOC A two-digit status is assigned to an IDoc to allow the processing to be monitored. The statuses for outbound IDocs are between '01' and '49', while the statuses for inbound IDocs begin with '50'.

30. Idoc Segments TCODE: WE31

31. Idoc Types TCODE: WE30

32. How to Attach Segments

33. Message Types WE81 WE82

34. IDOC Type/ Message Type/ Processing Function Module Valid combination of Message type and IDOC type are stored in table EDIMSG Combination of message type and IDOC type determine the processing algorithm. This is usually a function module and is set up in table EDIFCT.

35. Topics to cover What is ALE ? Components of ALE . Anatomy of an IDoc. ALE Processing. i.Outbound Processing ii.Inbound Processing Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs. Trouble Shooting Questions

36. Outbound Processing

37. Outbound processing: direct Application posting ALE layer Database Application document posted simultaneously with IDOCs Comm. layer asynch. RFC or EDI System call FM ( INBOUND_ IDOC_ PROCESS ) On destination Comm. layer Need to create IDOC? Create master IDOC Customer Distribution Model Receiver determination Segment filter Field value conversion Version change Dispatch control M C Links C

38. Dispatch control Application posting ALE layer Database Application document posted simultaneously with IDocs asynch. RFC or EDI asynch. RFC or EDI Comm. layer Technical comms parameters are defined EDI or aRFC (asynch. remote function call) Send immediately or cumulate and send via batch job If batch, packet size is determined Need to create IDOC? Create master IDOC Customer Distribution Model Receiver determination Segment filter Field value conversion Version change Dispatch control M C Links C C

39. Scenario analysis How does the IDOC look like ? How is data being sent ? How is the data being received ?

40. Outbound program development Program logic “ How is the IDOC being created ?” Triggering “ How is the IDOC creation kicked off ?”

41. Program logic Select data from application tables Fill data into IDOC Pass IDOC to ALE layer (Call function MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE) Commit Work Receiver determination Segment filtering Version Control Dispatch Control IDOC program ALE layer MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE

42. MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE Call function ‘MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE’ Exporting master_idoc_control: IDOC control record Tables communication_idoc_control: returned information about the distribution master_idoc_data: IDOC data segments

43. Filling an EDIDD structure MOVE “Z1SEG” to EDIDD-SEGNAM MOVE “10” to Z1SEG-FIELD1 MOVE “ABC” to Z1SEG-FIELD2 MOVE Z1SEG to EDIDD-SDATA Header (55bytes) SDATA (1000bytes) … . SEGNAM …. EDIDD Z1SEG Field1 Field2 Field3 Field4 “ 10” “ ABC”

44. General Programming rules Design Guidelines for creating IDOC data records: Left-justified filing of IDOC Fields Replacing SAP codes with ISO codes currency keys country keys unit of measure shipping instructions Converting Currency Amounts

45. Left-justified Filling All fields must be left-justified Character fields: automatic Non-character fields: ‘ Condense’ statement must be used Check IDOC documentation to find out which fields require a ‘condense’ All types unequal to ‘char’, ‘cuky’, ‘clnt’, ‘accp’, ‘numc’, ‘dats’, ‘tims’ or ‘unit’ require a condense

46. Code Conversions Replacing SAP codes with ISO codes Currency keys: ‘currency_code_sap_to_iso’ Country keys: ‘country_code_sap_to_iso’ Units of measure: ‘unit_of_measure_sap_to_iso’ Shipping instructions: sap_iso_package_type_code’ Conversion of currency amounts ‘ currency_amount_sap_to_iso’

47. Basic Configuration Elements Define RFC Destinations Define Ports Maintain Customer Model Create Partner Profiles

48. Maintaining RFC Destinations TCODE: SM59

49. Displaying and Maintaining Ports A port is a logical representation of a communication channel in SAP with the data communicated being IDocs . TCODE: WE21

50. Partner Profiles TCODE: WE20

51. Partner Profiles-Inbound

52. Partner Profiles-Outbound

53. ALE For Transactional data ---- Output Determination NACE

54. Output Determination -- Output Types

55. Output Types -- Details

56. Inbound Processing

57. Inbound Processing. Application posting ALE layer Input control Database Simultaneously update IDOC's status Field value conversion A Comm. layer asynch. RFC or EDI Version change Segment filter C A Post application document Process IDOC Serialization

58. Input Control Application posting ALE layer Input control Database Simultaneously update IDOC's status For each message type and sender one can define when to process (immediate/batch) whether to call application directly or start customer workflow who should get work items in case of error Incoming IDOC packets are passed to application Field value conversion A Comm. layer asynch. RFC or EDI Version change Segment filter C A Post application document Process IDOC Serialization

59. Application Input Application posting ALE layer Input control Database Simultaneously update IDOC's status Inbound IDOCs are passed to the application via a standardized function interface Field value conversion A Comm. layer asynch. RFC or EDI Version change Segment filter C A Post application document Process IDOC Serialization

60. Serialization Application posting ALE layer Input control Database Simultaneously update IDOC's status When processing the inbound IDOC, the application can call an ALE API (function module) to check that the IDOC has not been overtaken If change No. 1 arrives after change No. 2, the IDOC containing it has been overtaken (by the IDOC containing the later change) Field value conversion A Comm. layer asynch. RFC or EDI Version change Segment filter C A Post application document Process IDOC Serialization

61. FM Assignment to Message Type and IDoc type TCODE: WE57

62. Process Codes WE41 WE42

63. Process Codes in Inbound and Outbound TCODE: WE64

64. FM For Inbound EDI TCODE: BD67

65. Inbound Program Development INBOUND_IDOC_PROCESS ALE layer IDOC_INPUT_<MSGTYPE> Read IDOC data Post Application data Send Success info back to ALE layer ALE configuration Partner Profiles Process Code Function module attribute Function module registry Call function Return Variables If ERROR, trigger Version change Segment filter Field conversion IDOC Workflow Task

66. Basic Scenario Direct Method Call Transaction Method

67. Advanced Scenario Mass processing Serialization Advanced Workflow

68. Flow Of Program Read IDOC-Lock IDOC-Call Inbound Program-Write Status-Commit Work-Unlock IDOC

69. Interface of Inbound FM Importing Parameter -Input Method -Mass_processing EXPORT parameter . -Workflow_result -Application_variable -In_Update_task -Call_transaction_done Tables parameter : IDOC_Control IDOC_DATA IDOC_STATUS Return_variable

70. Topics to cover What is ALE ? Components of ALE . Anatomy of an IDoc. ALE Processing Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs. Questions

71. Monitoring IDocs The IDoc interface offers 2 different approaches for tracking of data load and data flow: Reports for monitoring Workflow for notifications Both approaches are based on the concept of status transitions, i.e. an IDoc changes its status from a given value to another value.

72. List Of All IDocs Created. (Default, Additional, EDI)-- WE02/ WE05

73. Selection Program For Issuing Output -- WE15

74. Test Tool For Idoc Processing (WE19)

75. Idoc Search For Business Contents (Database). WE09

76. Questions